Sabbatical Guidelines

A sabbatical leave is a privilege. The award of a sabbatical leave is not guaranteed but is dependent, in part, on the quality of the sabbatical leave proposal.

  1. Eligibility for Sabbatical Leave

Before going through the formalities of applying for sabbatical leave, each applicant should determine whether he or she is eligible. The policy governing the sabbatical leave programs specifies the eligibility for sabbatical leave:

  • All tenured members of the faculty with a minimum of six academic years full time and continuous service immediately preceding the proposed sabbatical leave year at the University of Denver are eligible for the program. University service as a full-time tenure track instructor also counts in determining eligibility. In computing the six academic years of continuous service, time spent in official leave of absence granted by the University will not be counted, but time both before and after such leave will be counted. Parental leaves, however, are not counted as “leaves of absence” and will not delay sabbatical eligibility.
  • At the discretion of the appropriate Dean, faculty members in the Library Professorial Series, Teaching Professorial Series, Professor of the Practice Series, and Clinical Professorial Series (as defined in the Policies and Procedures Relating to Faculty Appointment, Promotion and Tenure) with a minimum of six academic years full time and continuous service at the University of Denver immediately preceding the proposed sabbatical leave year may be eligible for the program.
  • The Dean may recommend that leave be granted before the accrual of six academic years of continuous service if a faculty member is presented with an unusual opportunity for research, travel, writing, studying, or teaching improvement; or the Dean may recommend temporary deferral of a sabbatical leave due to fiscal or other programmatic constraints. However, acceleration or deferral of a sabbatical leave is expected to be highly unusual, and justifications for such recommendations must be documented and necessitate the approval of the Provost. Upon returning from sabbatical leave, a faculty member must accumulate a minimum of six academic years of fulltime additional University service, as described above, to become eligible again for a sabbatical.

Four conditions deserve special mention:

  1. An "official leave of absence" means that the faculty member has been released, with or without pay, from all duties for a period of time in order to pursue special projects, for personal reasons, or according to the terms of the Family Medical Leave Act, with the exception of Parental Leave.
  2. A "mini-sabbatical" granted under special programs established by Deans is not considered an official leave of absence and, therefore, time spent on such a sabbatical will be counted as part of the six academic years continuous service for sabbatical leave eligibility.
  3. Sabbatical leaves are not to be used to complete requirements for the terminal degree in a discipline, although sabbatical leaves may be appropriate for post-doctoral work.
  4. While on sabbatical leave, a faculty member may not accept full- or part-time paid employment elsewhere, beyond the amount of normal full salary. Unusual expenses resulting from the leave may be remunerated. This restriction does not apply to occasional honoraria. Any questions concerning eligibility should be directed to the Office of the Provost or the Faculty Senate Personnel Committee.
  1. Sabbatical Duration and Remuneration Criteria

Faculty members on nine-month appointments will be granted one academic year (three quarters) sabbatical leave at one-half the regular nine-month salary, two-quarter leave at seven-ninths of the regular nine-month salary, or one-quarter leave at full salary. Faculty members on nine-month appointments in units on the semester system will be granted one-year (two semester) sabbatical leave at one-half the regular nine-month salary, or one semester leave at full salary.

Faculty members on a twelve-month appointment will be granted leave for a twelve-month period at one-half the regular twelve-month salary, three-quarter leaves at 7/10 of the regular twelve-month salary, two-quarter leave at 7/8 of the regular twelve-month salary, or one-quarter leave at full salary. Faculty members on twelve-month appointments in units on the semester system will be granted leave for a twelve-month period at 1/2 salary, two semester leave at 7/10 salary, or one semester leave at full salary.

Each year, some applications of exceptionally meritorious quality, as determined by the Chair, Dean, and the Faculty Senate Personnel Sabbatical Subcommittee, may be recommended for increased leave time or remuneration. The final decision will be made by the Provost and the Board of Trustees.

  1. Application Procedure

Applications for sabbatical leave must be submitted to Department Chairs (or the appropriate Dean or Director when there is no Chair of the academic unit) by October 3 of the year prior to the academic year in which the leave will be taken. Download the application on the Faculty Senate Website.

The Department Chair (or the appropriate Dean or Director when there is no Chair of the academic unit) will review the applications for the quality of the proposal, appropriateness of the plan, and, where appropriate, the extent to which the faculty member has explored opportunities for external funding. Chairs will transmit completed applications with their recommendations to the Dean by October 17.

Deans or appropriate administrators shall review the applications and forward them with their recommendations to the Sabbatical Subcommittee of the Faculty Senate Personnel Committee by October 31. The Sabbatical Subcommittee will review the applications and make recommendations to the Provost by December 1.

The Provost's recommendations will be communicated to the Board of Trustees at its January meeting and applicants will be notified of their action no later than February 15.

  1. Criteria for Selection

The Sabbatical Subcommittee of the Faculty Senate Personnel Committee will use these criteria in reviewing applications:

  • Eligibility (See Section A of this document.)
  • Quality of Proposal The proposal should contain a description of the project, project objectives and the possibilities for outside support. It should indicate clearly what results can be expected from the work. If a book is planned, the proposed publishers should be identified.
  • Value of the Sabbatical to the Department and the University The application should indicate how the sabbatical will contribute to programs within the department and the University.
  • Value of the Sabbatical to the Individual The application should describe how the sabbatical will strengthen the teaching or research of the applicant. It should also include any important personal reasons for a sabbatical leave for the time requested.
  • Value of the Sabbatical to the Field or Profession The application should indicate clearly any expected contributions that will accrue to the applicant's profession.
  • Recommendations of the Department Chairperson and Dean.
  1. Ranking of Proposals

Using the above criteria the Personnel Subcommittee will place the applications in three categories: acceptable, questionable, and unacceptable proposals. The ratings will be forwarded to the Provost with explanations as needed. In addition, the subcommittee will recommend those proposals deemed to be of exceptionally meritorious quality and, therefore, eligible for increased leave time or remuneration.

  1. Report on Sabbatical Experience

Each applicant who is granted a sabbatical leave must prepare a brief report after the completion of his or her experience. The report is to be forwarded to both the Dean and the Chair of the Faculty Senate Personnel Committee by the end of the quarter following the completion of the sabbatical leave. For example, the report for a fall quarter sabbatical should be filed with the professor's Dean and the Personnel Committee by the end of the following winter quarter. The reports will be stored in the home department of the applicant and in the Faculty Senate Office. Besides an overview, the report should contain:

  • A brief restatement of the plan outlined in the application.
  • An explanation of major variations from the approved application.
  1. Funds for the Sabbatical Leave

Since monies are limited and it is the wish of the University of Denver to grant as many sabbaticals as possible each year, these guidelines have been established:

  • When a faculty member is on sabbatical, his or her annual salary will be included in the department's budget.
  • The department, in consultation with the Dean, will determine and explain how needs for replacement funds, if any, will be met.